I delay writing reviews until I have had ample time to try a venue, and after I've read other reviews to see if the shortcomings are a one-off or a pattern. I tried meals here on three separate occasions, twice on weekends and once during the week. My review depicts the summary of my experiences. Set back in a shopping center, the size of the restaurant is deceiving. The venue is tremendous, and the decor and bar present a welcoming environment. On all occasions, I was greeted right away and walked to my table. On one particular evening, we were seated in the back room. The first thing I noticed were how quickly the food runners were moving through the dining space. There seemed to be an urgency about their movement. The appetizers I've enjoyed were the duck arancini, mushrooms, and the oysters. All served hot, fresh, and the seasoning was on-point. The oysters came with a mini Tabasco sauce bottle and cocktail sauce. I was less enthralled by their entrees, a pattern that was sadly not a one-off or "bad night" for me. The beef Wellington was served well done, even though medium-rare was ordered. On another occasion, I ordered the surf and turf; the filet came out well done instead of medium-rare, and the lobster was rubbery and overly salted. It was served without drawn butter. They cooked another steak for me, but it came out medium (still incorrect) and had no seasoning whatsoever. A bland and tasteless filet after previously eating an underwhelming overcooked beef Wellington was enough for me to deduce that, after two visits, incorrectly cooking steak was not a mistake, but a pattern. Our table was cleared of appetizer plates and utensils, but no new utensils were provided. Our entrees were served shortly thereafter, and began to get cold as we waited for someone to come over and bring us forks and knives. We waited and asked three different people before finally getting some. All of us ordered some type of cocktail or wine with our meals, yet still drank water, and our water glasses were not refilled once during any of my visits. The staff running all over to collect dirty dishes were out of sync with the servers and the kitchen, and unable to get a pulse on the diners. I did not see a manager or any type of supervisor circulating, but these are fixes that can be easily made with proper oversight. Runners were aimlessly running back and forth and just grabbing whatever dishes were done. Their timing was way off. I really wanted to like this place and include it in my regular rotation. I thought with time they would get the rhythm of the dining room down, but I spaced my visits months apart and not much changed. I wish them well, but it will be a pass from me going forward. read more

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This was my first experience visiting Culpers 1778 and my fiancé and I enjoyed our date night out. It's a more causal steakhouse with no valet but plenty of parking right in front of the building. The establishment had a cozy decor and an illuminated bar which I thought was pretty cool. Nice whiskey selection and the owner or manager was very attentive. The food was very good although I prefer crostini with my burrata instead of bread. The broccolini was very good as well as the baked potato. If you're in the neighborhood I'd rather go here than drive some place else for pretty much the same quality. read more

Culpers 1778 - Ribeye, baked potato & broccolini - Steakhouses Near Me - East Setauket, New York

I was really excited when I saw this place open up. I have always been a huge fan of Dry-age steak from Peter lugers. I ordered a porter house and a few sides. Although the sides were good the steak was only ok. They advertised it to be dry aged for at least 20 days however it tasted like a normal porter house. In addition they charge extra for sauce which I felt was a bit weird. I think the food was good but it was a bit pricey for what I received. read more

Culpers 1778 - Porterhouse for two - Steakhouses Near Me - East Setauket, New York

Had a really great, first time experience. Came tonight with my husband for random date night. This used to be Mario's. The ambiance is great. Very clean with a great dining area. They have tall tables, mini booths if you're just there for drinks and small bites, and actual booths for meals. The service is great. Our server was very friendly. Other servers helped with bringing out the food, which is great. Shows great teamwork. Here is what we ordered: - Colossal shrimo cocktail: colossal white tiger shrimp with cocktail sauce - crab cakes: herb aioli and shaved asparagus salad - short rib papperdelle: short rib ragu, reggiano and home made ricotta - lemon caccio e pepe: malfaldine, with pecorino and reggiano, pink peppercorn, lemon zest and lemon olive oil - 2 glasses of merlot - 2 glasses of sauvignon blanc - flourless chocolate lava cake with vanilla gelato - chocolate gelato Everything was delicious. We can't wait to try more things on the menu. Recommend! read more

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I just hate giving this review. As others have said this is a new restaurant in this area. Some friends wanted to go to dinner there so a group of 6 of us made plans. The positive.. seated right away. Our waitress, Jamie, was fabulous. The decor is great, fine dining. Now the issues, or my issues. We were seated at three two person tables pushed together. Area was very tight. Where we were sitting was very dark. Maybe atmosphere but one of the ladies asked if they could raise the light level. Answer, hard no. Before we got started we asked if we could have separate bills. It can get uncomfortable when one person orders a more expensive meal and another has a less expensive. The answer... No best they could do was two separate bills. WHAT? So the food. My wife and I split a dozen oysters as an app. Some say oysters are an aphrodisiac. Didn't seem to go that way for me. For our entree we had the Porterhouse for two. Also a side of asparagus. The Porterhouse came out covered with rock salt. Something I've never seen before. The salt permeated into the meat which was so overwhelming we couldn't eat it. Jamie jumped in immediately and took it away for a replacement. The asparagus were delivered to another table and when it was straitened out the food runner just left it at the other end of the table. The new Porterhouse came pretty quickly which I appreciated but the taste just seemed off. Was it just me? Well one of my buddies had chicken which was also covered in salt. I would typically say one and done but in this case I want to like no love this new entry into the area. I will give it another chance. read more

Culpers 1778 - Steakhouses Near Me - East Setauket, New York

First time here, there were some pluses and minuses but overall pretty good for the newest East Setauket restaurant. And how awesome is it to have a new restaurant in the old Marios spot? The new owners invested a lot of money, it looks really swanky! From the beautiful bar to the elegant copper table design, Culpers 1778 has a nice steakhouse vibe. I made Friday night reservations for my wife & I. Once I checked in with the hostess stand, we were escorted to a high two top table close to the bar. A beautiful smaller table that's welded to the floor. I couldn't pull the table out for my wife to sit. Both the young couple next to us laughed as we situated ourselves but in all honestly, its a steakhouse commanding high prices. There was no room to put all the plates that came out. A little annoying but not a deal breaker. Cocktails are what every good spy needs and the bartender crushed it! I ordered the dirty martini stuffed with blue cheese olives. Deelish! The appetizers all looked good but I always need to shake things up. I don't want to start with fried calamari rings, gimme some of that pasta! I ordered the lemon cacio e pepi main entree and had them split the dish into two portions. I guess I messed up the chef because they must have made one dish and just grabbed the pasta between plates. My wifes dish was just pasta where I had all the cheese & pepper. My side? Perfecto! My wifes side, it had no pep in its step. I ordered the Porterhouse for Two. A 28 day dry aged cut that's served on a sizzling hot plate. The steak is pre cut, all we have to do is dig in. This thick porterhouse is one big, impressive-looking steak. It combines both the Tenderloin steak and a Strip steak all separated by the instantly recognizable T-bone in the center. The end result, what was served to us was massive! The steak was big and fatty that hits all your primal senses when you take a bite. The side of creamed spinach? It wasn't creamy or dreamy, it just tasted like cooked down spinach. When I order creamed spinach I like it to be kicked up, was it good? Yes. But not my favorite. Culpers 1778? We had a nice meal and it's a welcomed addition to the East Setauket restaurants. read more

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I just heard back from Culpers 1778 today, after reaching out again (there was an email problem, originally). I will finalize my updated review after I try their burger & fries again. I got the replacement burger & fries and they were good - no problems this time. The burger and fries are more than enough for one person (in fact, the two of us split them and still had some leftover fries). Also, as a bonus, they gave us a brussel sprout & bacon side dish. Even though it was sweeter than we normally like, it was very good. In summary this was a big improvement over our earlier experience and we thank Culpers 1778 for giving us the opportunity to try them again. read more

Last night was our first time at this establishment as we wanted to partake in their restaurant week menu as the selections look tempting for $46 per person. It was very easy calling up for a table for two at a short minute notice for last night. We were told during reservation that we will be sitting in table by the bar area. I was a bit concerned it may be too loud but once we were shown to our table, it was not close to the bar at all and we actually kinda the quietness and a bit of the privacy the section offers. The bread and butter they served at the beginning was amazing. Butter was silky soft and bread was equally that so thumbs up. For appetizer, I got the crispy pork belly while my wife got the crab cake. Both dishes were spectacular and especially for the pork belly, it was crispy on one end and nice and soft on the other. For entree, I got the steak frites while my wife got the pan seared scallops. Ok here is where we have some complaints. I'd ask for medium rare and the temperature was almost rare. At least it wasn't medium but wished it was cooked to the temperature asked. The fries that came with it was so charred as if they used old oil or something. I did notify our waitress, Natalie, and she immediately put in a fries replacement order which that one came out perfectly and the portion of fries could feed like 3 people. My wife's entree came with some type of pasta which she was not aware as the menu paper ink was a bit rubbed off so couldn't tell. When the waitress was notified, she did offer to take the whole dish back and replace the pasta with either asparagus or broccolini. That was an extremely nice gesture of our waitress which we appreciated. We also got a side of grilled broccolini for $12. For dessert, we both got the flourless chocolate lava cake and that was sweet but not too sweet which was great. The only thing is that we were not given were dessert utensils and we had to wait a really long time to flag down a staff. With all the trouble, they actually volunteered and took off on the bill the broccolini and my mule drink. Thumbs up for caring for the customers. All in all, the service especially the wait time and having to wait for utensils were not perfect. They have some execution issues with the food. But our waitress for the evening kept us informed and she is a joy. read more

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The food was very good. This is not my first time here. I enjoy the atmosphere, decor, menu choices and food. However be watch out for the drink/wine up sales. I ordered a Pinot Grigio and was only told/offered the expensive one. When I asked if it was the house wine I was told yes. It was $5 more per glass compared to another Pinot that they had available. $15 compared to $20 per glass. It's not that big of a deal I just don't like people deceiving me. Aside from that I would totally recommend this restaurant. read more

Culpers 1778 - Strip steak, Mac and cheese creamed spinach. - Steakhouses Near Me - East Setauket, New York

We recently tried Culper in Setauket for the first time and were impressed! The restaurant is beautifully renovated, giving it a warm and inviting atmosphere. We had a reservation for three and didn't realize it was a prix fixe menu -- what a pleasant surprise! For $55 per person (with small upcharges for certain items), you get a generous four-course meal. The portions are perfect, especially the appetizers which are designed to be shared. We ordered the crab cake, calamari, French onion soup (highly recommend) and the beef tartare to start, along with a house salad and Caesar salad. For mains, we had the steak and the salmon. The steak came out a touch undercooked but was still very tender and flavorful. We had Mashed potatoes for a side dish & macaroni and cheese was lacking flavor. For dessert, we shared the flourless chocolate cake which was absolutely delicious. Overall, the food was excellent and the value is outstanding. I would definitely recommend Culper and look forward to coming back. My only feedback would be on service: our hot appetizer arrived while we were still eating our salads, and our waitress never checked if we wanted another drink or coffee with dessert. Small things, but worth noting. read more

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Service was Excellent we went out with a big size party.. she couldn't be more pleasant and helpful with ordering our meal and appetizers. The food came out on time and excellent!!! We had heard different comment not always positive but we totally enjoyed everything aspect of the meal!!! You can't go wrong trying Culpers I'm sure you're gonna have a good review to post also!!! read more

Went for the first time and found the food excellent. The steak was great as were the special cocktails. All salads, sides and even the bread were tasty. Only issue was the loaded baked potato had too much sour cream - but hey I was able to still enjoy it. This place should be much more crowded than it is! The menu is very well priced for a high end steak house. read more

Food & Service 5/5. Ambiance 3/5 but have to still give 5 overall. Drinks: whiskey lovers paradise. Even have some very high end bourbons and scotches. Think Pappy, Macallan, etc. My wife had a Bombay Sapphire G&T and was happily surprised when it arrived as a " tall". I had a Manhattan with Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style bourbon. I am very particular and the bartender made it perfectly. Not too sweet. I want to taste the bourbon. Began with bread and butter. Their house butter is amazing! My wife had a special beet and goat cheese salad. Beets were so fresh! I had a Caesars salad. Next time I will say lighter on the dressing. A bit too much for me. I also had six oysters. I do not garnish them so I can really taste them. They were fantastic. My wife is vegetarian and ordered the roasted Brussels sprouts without the pancetta. Yummy! I had the ribeye rare. After reading some reviews about too much salt, I requested no salt. A great steak should taste great without anything added. It was fantastic and cooked perfectly. For a steakhouse, I found the prices were quite good. Many places would have charged $20+ more for my steak. Lauren was our waiter and she was a true pro. We will certainly be back. I will definitely get oysters but will have the filet mignon. If you have two steak lovers, they have some large steaks for two also that sound divine. Final note to owner: Fill those blank walls with some American Revolution pictures or antiques. That will help with ambiance. Good luck as you move forward. read more

Culpers might have suffered from startup issues but they've definitely got their act together. Service, food and ambiance were all excellent. read more

Long time local residents itching to try Mario's replacement. We sat in the very cozy bar area and noted everyone in the restaurant chose the same. I was pleased to see a great selection of items, I had been concerned it was mostly all steaks and beef. The table bread was excellent. The Caesar salad was adequately dressed but really lacked that bite and was bland. Crab cakes were deep fried, just ok. The burger and fries were excellent and enjoyed. The filet oscar and short ribs pasta dish were delicious also. Beef Wellington hit the right notes. Mac and cheese was bland, needed a sharp cheese. We did not have dessert. The wines were reasonably priced. Suggest to have salt and pepper mills on all the tables. We had to hunt for these. Overall pretty good and we will be back. read more

We've been to the bar side a few times. It has the same layout as Mario's but was redone and has nice ambience. For starters the &1 oysters at happy hour are perfect and the crab cakes are delicious. The beet salad is very good and the porterhouse for 2 is delicious. Porterhouse is reasonably priced compared to other steakhouses. We will be back. read more

This restaurant is under new ownership and the food was amazing, the owner and staff were very friendly and accommodating. I definitely recommend you go and check this place out you will be glad you did! "The Mortgage Wizard" "Nobody beats the Wiz" tm read more

So the menu has a steak that says on the bone which I ordered my steak came without a bone and it was a different cut of meat. Overpriced, horrible service. Waitress kept playing with the heat the whole time turning it off when it was freezing outside. read more

Let me start by saying the ambiance is amazing. Perfect day drinking bar. The food is on another level. Tried the duck arancini almost had an orgasm! Went to the Calcio a peppe! Awesome! Ribeye steak now we need to get serious. Beautiful! Nothing complicated. Just a superb piece of meat with an unbelievable seared crust and flaked salt. Best steak I've had out of any steak house. Autumn the bar tender is on point very personable. Yeah keep doing what you're doing! Thank you for an awesome experience! Ov read more

Best steak Oscar I've had anywhere around. great service. Especially on Thursdays and Sundays.

The service was EXCELLENT. So nice and engaging. My sdad LOVED the croutons and the waiter brought my dad some to take home. The food was delicious! We ordered the following: beef wellington, the aged burger, the salmon and the shirt rib parppadelle . All excellent! read more

Great selection of creative and top shelf cocktails. Lucious food with filet cooked just as requested. Filet Oscar and Beef Wellington were beautiful. Brussels were perfectly crispy w drizzle and pancetta. Husband thought coffee was best he had in ages. Seats are comfortable and not over crowded. Music system and rest room could use upgrade. Cozy bar area if preferred. Will go again. read more

The bartender was good, the drinks overpriced and small Save your money and time 1oz liquor 2 glasses wine $60 There is zero special about the ambiance read more

Went there on 4/8/26 For my wife's birthday. Steaks were horrible. Tasted like they were microwaved then seared. Had a weird gamey flavor like when you defrost something too much and cook it. Also presentation of the steak matched the flavor. it was olive oil with the steak blood separated from the oil. service was great though, my culpers old fashioned was nice. I will not be going there for dinner ever again but maybe a drink. At 60+ a steak, I am blown away at how bad it was. read more

I am very local and wanted to love this place since it is about 90 seconds, literally, from my house, but it is just not comparable to Vintage Prime in Setauket or Insignia in Smithtown. The crab cake appetizer and Duck Aracini are second rate. For goodness sake, go to the Black Pearl at Danford's, the Stone Goat or Luca's and try their crab cakes. The beef wellington was extremely salty and mediocre. Same with the filet. The burger is your best bet. Ordered expensive bottles of red wine on multiple occasions that were warm when delivered to the table. Not expecting a chilled wine, like a white wine, but a good red wine should be stored in a cool cellar, basement or wine fridge. The bread to start the meal was also second rate. Not looking to dump on you guys but honestly, if I were spending the time and money to open a restaurant that has competitors like Elaine's, Ixchel, Old Fields, Mirabelle's, not to mention Insignia or Vintage Prime, i would be a raving lunatic to ensure the highest quality. I just don't get it. I really wanted to love your restaurant and I know you can do better. read more

Tried out Culpers 1778 for first time with my wife and another couple. Had reservation, but was surprisingly unfilled for a new restaurant. Nice selection of unique cocktails. Service was very good. Menu was reasonable. Steaks were cooked to perfection. My only critique is that a restaurant named for a Revolutionary war spy ring could have done more to illustrate that in its decor or given some history on its menu. Definitely recommend though. read more

I wanted to give this a five but couldn't. As for service our server Anthony was incredible. He was Attentive and right there for our experience when we weren't thrilled he immediately rectified the situation not making excuses literally accepting our displeasure which to me is invaluable in an employee. We greatly appreciated him. The sides were fantastic. The mushrooms seasoned perfectly, the added sautéed onions delicious, the creamed spinach needed a tad more salt. The appetizer, the tuna, we both truly enjoyed. So our issue was the steak we ordered the porterhouse for two, rare-medium rare and it came out medium well. Sent back and returned medium rare but not seasoned enough. We did not send it back a second time but at the price point we expect it to be right the first time. We don't want this review to impact the service while it was exceptional but we would like for the chef to meet expectations of seasoning and temperature requested. We would love to come back again but for the price expect the steak to be cooked to our expectations Drinks were perfect did not get dessert so unable to comment. Once again Anthony's service was incredible and wish we could give this a five star for him read more

The food was very good. Our waitress Jaime was very nice as well. You can see from the pics what we ordered and it was all delicious. Still room to grow , as they just opened two weeks ago, but very good. I look forward to coming back. read more

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Had the steak/lobster dinner and it was very good and the steak cooked to perfection. It was a Thursday night and I would say they could have used a second person serving at the bar. The woman did very well but seemed a bit overwhelmed at times. Overall, very happy this spot is very active again! read more

Had dinner at Culpers recently and the food, staff and decor all far exceeded my exceptations. From the Onion Soup and Burrata Salad, to the Filet Mignon complimented w the Awesome mashed potatoes and cream of spinach, it was outstanding from start to finish. Definitely will be back SOON! read more

excellent food, great drinks, awesome ambiance. highly recommend the ribeye! Owner was nice enough to stop by the table and share his story as well which was a nice touch. read more

I had the fortunate pleasure of dining at Culpers, and what a fantastic experience. The place was top notch from the minute I walked in. The owner gave a warm greeting when I arrived, the appetizers were served promptly (and amazing) and the steak perfectly cooked. The wine complimented the meal and was displayed elegantly prior to consuming - very classy. The bartender's warmth and kindness made it feel like home. Well done gentleman. This was top notch is, by far, the best place in the area. read more

To be clear, I'm writing this review to be constructive, not hurtful, because we need more steakhouses in the area. Unrelated to food, the environment was relaxing and casual, no excessive primping required. From hostess to waitress to manager, everyone was eager and attentive. With that being said, we didn't get value for money. For two people on a diet, the bill with tip was $222 (no alcohol, no apps). For the average couple, I would estimate a tab closer to $300. That's acceptable for a great steakhouse dinner, but our dinner was average to below average. We started with the wedge salad which was decent except for the bitter end of the romaine heart which should have been lopped off. However, the dressing, bacon and tomatoes were delicious. I ordered the strip steak, medium rare, with the colossal shrimp enhancement. The steak came out super rare, dark red and glossy, and the fat rind wasn't rendered at all. The colossal shrimp was overcooked and flavorless. This was a case where high-end ingredients were undermined by the cooking process. Furthermore, the steak was presented in a pool of butter (Peter Luger's style), which made for a greasy meal. It may be a minority opinion, but a prime cut of beef doesn't need a pool of butter, especially if it's already been cooked in butter. She ordered the filet mignon, medium rare, with a side of fingerling potatoes. The inside of the filet was medium rare, but instead of a good sear it had a tough, stringy outer shell. The lowlight of the meal were the fingerling potatoes, which looked more like baby potatoes because there were perfectly round. The potatoes were flavorless and very oily, almost as if they were boiled, soaked in a bowl of vegetable oil, and served plain. I apologize for the low rating, but high prices demand high standards. read more

07/11/2025 We recently visited Culpers 1778 after hearing so many positive things, but unfortunately, our experience didn't quite live up to the expectations. While the ambiance was pleasant and the staff friendly, the food left much to be desired. The presentation and prep could have compared to any local pub. The quality of the food compared to others with a similar price range, was not even close. We ordered the duck arancini and had to return, it tasted spoiled. Then we ordered the Porterhouse for two and that was mediocre at best. Overall, it wasn't a terrible experience, but it also wasn't memorable for the right reasons. We truly wanted to enjoy it. Very dissapointed! read more

Service was solid. Our waitress was good but the bus boy or whoever they were serving our food and not knowing who order what, was weird for a "fancy" steakhouse. The food as others said was ok at best but for price its 2 stars. The steak both porter house and tomahwak was fatty, dry, half was over cooked and lacking seasoning and salt. The best thing was the Brussels sprouts. Drinks tasted great becuase they tasted like juice, no alcohol in any of them. Unfortunately not in same stratosphere of Vintage, Insignia, and Paces. I know restaurant is newish hopefully they fix this as another steakhouse option would be great. read more

The - GRILLED BRANZINO - was the second best fish I have ever eaten. ( The best I caught myself and ate 20 minutes later)

Place is very pretty. Impressive bar area. Food was just average in taste and quality.

Came here last Thursday and was amazed. When I walked in the 3 hostesses welcomed my husband and I. They were all very accommodating as me and my husband wanted to change my table. All wait staff was friendly and attentive. Food was amazing. Will definitely be coming back. read more

Went with friends last Saturday. We were rudely "greeted" by the hostess upon entering. No hellono good evening no smile. Just a short do you have a reservation. She find the reservation picks up some menus says follow me and takes off. She brings us throughout the entire bar areas through the servers station to get to the dining area. When i tell you this girl ran through. We actually lost sight of her and had to ask a server where we go. She put the stack of menus on the table and promptly walked away. Under her breath enjoy your dinner. No eye contact nothing. Very strange. Whoever owns this place needs to get rid of her asap Or give her some training. Seriously have never encountered a rude hostess like this. Servers were all pretty young and learning but they were friendly and attentive. Meal was ok. Wedge salad was good, Wellington was burnt on the bottom, surf and turf was good. My husband got the special filet topped with lump crab and hollandaise $90. Asked for medium cook. Was raw. Sent back. Came back still very rare. Two of us had martinis one asked for extra dirty and they came out exactly the same: server shrugged and made an apologetic face then walked away. Desserts were fine. Typical nothing special. Not a great experience. We expected more had heard it was really good. Oh well.... read more

My wife and I took a chance. Friends have eaten there with mixed reviews. The bottom line is the service is excellent. The onion soup was the best. We had the steak for two that was perfect along with the mushrooms and dessert. However, for what they charge for a glass of wine and the amount you get, they need to clean up their act. I have no problem paying 16.00 for a glass of wine. I do have problem with getting four ounces or 5 ounces. Management needs to speak with the bartender, because this could be a turn off for anyone considering to return. As a new establishment there is a lot of competition that have been around many years with an established clientele. The idea is to be better than everyone else and perhaps a little more flexible. read more